Lightning protection systems may be divided into two categories—stroke collection/diversion systems and stroke prevention systems. Stroke collection/diversion systems are designed and deployed to divert a lightning termination away from a protected facility. They cannot prevent a termination of a lightning discharge in the general vicinity of the protected facility—they simply collect a stroke and provide a diversionary path to ground.
Stroke collection/diversion systems are best typified by conventional lightning rod systems. Such systems typically comprise an air terminal, a downconductor, and a grounding system. They function by collecting the stroke at a preferred location (e.g. a metallic air terminal) and conducting it to earth via a preferred path (e.g a downconductor).
Conversely, stroke prevention systems are intended to prevent a stroke from terminating within a protected area or on a protected system. Stroke prevention systems are often referred to as dissipative systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,527, to Carpenter, discloses a stroke prevention system called a Dissipation Array System (“DAS”). The DAS was designed to prevent lightning terminations within a protected area. However, because of the limited scientific data and operational history, the original designs were found to be of limited effectiveness. That, under certain conditions, strokes were collected by the DAS rather than prevented.
Subsequent to the referenced patent filing better Atmospheric Physics data became available; and DAS operational reports were collected that indicated some design weakness of the original DAS concepts. Further studies were commissioned to determine the design revisions required. Those studies resulted in the development of a virtually new generation of lightning strike termination preventors.
The major developments as expressed within this patent include a much flatter (vertically oriented) ionizer, a larger ionizer area as related to the risk factor, the use of less then sharp ionizer members and a better definition of the protected area size and shape. Additionally, Carpenter does not teach a method of determining DAS coverage. Consequently, what is needed is a lightning stroke prevention system that may be optimized for effectiveness and a method of determining the coverage of such lightning stroke prevention system.
A lightning stroke prevention system herein referred to as a lightning termination preventer (LTP) system is disclosed. The LTP system helps prevent the termination of a lightning stroke within the area protected by the LTP system. The LTP system may be designed in a manner to maximize its effectiveness. Furthermore, the coverage of the LTP system may be estimated.